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Philadelphia International Airport closes additional security checkpoints as partial shutdown drags on

By Laura Fay,
Nikki DeMentri
Nikki DeMentri
Nikki DeMentri is a general assignment reporter with CBS Philadelphia. The Central New Jersey native is thrilled she is sharing the stories of where she grew up.
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Nikki DeMentri,
CBS News Philadelphia Staff

/ CBS Philadelphia

Additional security checkpoints at Philadelphia International Airport closed on Wednesday as a partial government shutdown affecting TSA drags on. 

The airport and TSA shut down the checkpoints at Terminals A-West and F, in addition to Terminal C, a PreCheck-only checkpoint that closed last week.

TSA PreCheck will be available at Terminals A-East and D/E, PHL's website says.

On Thursday morning, there were long security lines stretching all the way to baggage claim at one point.

The closures happened because the partial government shutdown was affecting Transportation Security Administration staffing. PHL said at the time that officials hoped closing the checkpoint would allow TSA officers to fill staffing holes in other terminals. 

The closures come as the partial government shutdown continues to affect the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Patrol, Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies.

Roughly 50,000 TSA officers are being required to work without pay during the Department of Homeland Security funding lapse that began Feb. 14. Affected workers missed their first full paychecks Friday.

TSA absences have surged during the partial shutdown, and more than 350 officers have quit, according to internal TSA statistics obtained exclusively by CBS News. Staffing issues have caused long lines at airport security around the country.

In a post on , Philadelphia International Airport said people flying from A-West should use the A-East checkpoint. Those flying from Terminal C should use the checkpoint in Terminal B. Travelers flying from Terminal F should use the D/E checkpoint. 

These are the hours for the remaining terminals: 

  • Terminal A-East: 4:15 a.m.–10:15 p.m. (PreCheck will close at 6:30 p.m.) 
  • Terminal B: 3:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. 
  • Terminal D/E: 3 a.m.–10:30 p.m.  

The airport recommends travelers arrive 2.5 hours early for domestic flights and 3.5 hours early for international flights. All terminals remain connected past security, and travelers can access any gate from any open checkpoint, according to PHL.

Jana Tidwell with AAA advises travelers to get to the airport early and be prepared. 

"We always stay two hours before a domestic flight, three hours before an international flight," Tidwell said. "Now it's even more than that. Some of these lines are four to five hours." 

Travelers should also get everything they might need on their phone, including the airline app, the apps for the airports they'll be visiting, and the , so they can monitor wait times and other information, Tidwell said.

"They're not going to make any concessions if you're not there in time," she said. "There's no butting the line, in other words, so play it safe."

Anyone heading to the airport during this partial government shutdown can online.

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